Everyone else might not have been able to see it, but Shayne Stiff was confident he had a talented chaser on his hands when Zipping Aubry arrived at his Dubbo kennels.
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On Friday night he was proved correct in emphatic fashion as his dog took out the Feral Franky Stars Final (400m) at Dawson Park.
The moment couldn't have been much better for Stiff, who is also president of the Dubbo Greyhound Racing Club, as a massive crowd was on hand for the one of four finals contested on the richest night of racing the region has ever hosted.
"Any time you win a race worth $10,000 it's special," he said after the win.
"We didn't buy the dog for a lot of money but he's been very, very good to us."
Having had his first 15 career starts in Melbourne, Zipping Aubry hadn't set the world alight and had just the three wins to his name.
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But Stiff knew the potential was there, having seen the dog broken in and beginning his career at Dawson Park after being reared by Martin and Fiona Hallinan at Clergate.
He was able to pick up Zipping Aubry from former trainer Mark Delbridge and the rest, as they say, is history.
"Now he's back and he's won a $10,000 race and we've won about $14,000 in three weeks with him so for a little outlay we've got a big return with him," Stiff added.
Friday's win means Zipping Aubry has matched his record of three wins in Victoria in just four starts since arriving at Stiff's kennels.
His overall record stands at six wins from 19 career starts and Friday night's victory may have been the best so far.
Starting as an $11 outsider and having the tricky box four to deal with, Zipping Aubry had things work in his favour in the final.
After flying out of the boxes he was able to get to his preferred spot on the rail and from there the win was almost assured.
The chasing pack was gaining on the leader with each stride as they entered the home straight but Stiff's hope gave one last strong kick to win by three-quarters-of-a-length from Nangar Opal ($6.90) and Fernando Alonso ($2.30 favourite).
Retired Group 1 winner Feral Franky, having raced at Forbes under Ray Smith, was on hand for the presentation and Stiff said it was special to win the race named in his honour.
"Feral Franky is a legend around here and a very, very, very good dog so to win that is great," he said, before looking around Dawson Park.
"Have a look at the crowd. The atmosphere here is very, very good."
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
